


The Five Times Bernie saw Serena's Lingerie ( and the one time she did something about it)

by kitnkabootle



Category: Holby City
Genre: F/F, berena - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-06
Updated: 2016-10-06
Packaged: 2018-08-19 23:14:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8228075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitnkabootle/pseuds/kitnkabootle
Summary: Requested by Miss Nova. The title speaks for itself.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is dedicated to Miss Nova (Tumblr: janetsfrasier) for gifting the Berena community with her gorgeous pieces of art. I am forever thankful that she's part of the Berena fandom and that she is sharing her talents with it!!
> 
> Also dedicated to Megan (Tumblr: culturepopper) for ideas and help!!

“Here you are, have a look at this then.” Serena leaned across the station that Bernie was seated behind and dropped ultrasound photos on the desk in front of her. 

Bernie looked up in surprise from the photos when she saw her colleague leaning on the tall counter in front of her, the halves of her blouse having parted, revealing all too much of a Parisian lace bra. Bernie tilted her head to the side, her eyes refusing to leave the vision in front of her until the last possible second then she cleared her throat nervously, looking over the ultrasounds that were taking her much too long to read.

“You see, I told you I was right about this,” Serena stated in that cheery, matter-of-fact way that she always managed to adopt so quickly. Bernie tried to formulate words in response but merely nodded her head and peered up at her from the safety of her fringe.

Serena’s perfume, warmed by her bosom and precariously close to Bernie’s face, was overwhelmingly sensual. She tried to clear her thoughts, to say anything at all but the words wouldn't come. She realized her failure to communicate had not been lost on her colleague as it was evident in Serena’s slightly confused expression, “Ms. Wolfe, are you feeling alright? I really don’t want to be in theatre having to deal with these complications without you.”

“Oh yes, right. No, I was just,” Bernie gestured across the photographs littering the desktop until she was able to find a shred of wit to respond with, “I was just amazed that you were right, that’s all.”

Serena narrowed her eyes playfully and reached out to lay her hand on Bernie’s wrist. Then she leaned further forward still, her lace bra dancing before Bernie’s eyes, “Your ego smarting?” Serena whispered lowly and winked at Bernie who could feel the color draining out of her face.

Serena laughed and let go of her hand, pushing off of the counter, “See you in theatre Major.”

\---------

“Is there a reason there are three patients waiting to get in to theatre, a wing on the verge of hysteria and you three are standing here giggling away?” Bernie asked as she handed two clipboards off and scribbled on the third.

Fletch and Raf jumped at the unexpected visitor and Morven rushed off with a quick, “Sorry!”

Bernie eyed the young men, one at a time, “So what’s this about then?”

The two men looked at one another and it was Fletch that finally gave in, “Look… it’s just that Serena’s been turnin’ ‘eads all day all over AAU and we’ve been takin’ bets on which one’s next, ‘at’s all.”

Bernie’s brows knit together, the need for clarification evident on her face. 

Raf sighed, “It’s just Serena’s blouse is a bit transparent…” he looked as though he were blushing as he motioned towards the opposing side of the wing.

Bernie followed his gesture just as Serena was making her way directly toward them. It became very clear immediately what the two men had meant when Bernie saw the thin white blouse that her co-clinical lead was wearing and the very apparent outline of the black bra below.

Bernie swallowed and shot quick glances at the other two, before Raf said, “Look who gets the point between the two of us for Bernie?”

Shoving the last clipboard at Raf and sending the pair of them rushing off in the opposite direction, Bernie looked towards her colleague.

“Bernie! There you are! Look, I need you to look in on the patient in…” Serena began and Bernie gently took her arm and guided her towards their office. Serena looked at her in complete confusion, “Where are we going?”

“I just want to have a quick chat if I might,” Bernie reasoned and Serena mildly protested until they were within the office with the door firmly closed.

“You might want to scrub up for the rest of the day, “ Bernie lightly suggested and Serena merely stared back at her.

“I’m not even scheduled for theat—“ Serena began but Bernie interrupted, “No, no you’re not. But the blouse,” Bernie decided to look anywhere but at Serena, “the blouse you’re wearing is showing a little more of your modesty than I trust you realize and it’s distracting the ward.”

When Bernie finally looked back at her colleague, her cheeks were red.

“Well it might have been helpful, Ms. Wolfe, if you’d told me that hours ago and not going on the final hours of this shift.” Serena grumbled, grabbing her jacket off the coat hanger in the corner of the room.

“Yes, but I’ve not seen you yet today, we’ve been so busy,” Bernie protested.

“Well perhaps you should make it a point to see me straight away when you come in for your shift, in future. I thought you had my back!"

"I do! I mean..." Bernie looked down at the floor, "Not your front..." she couldn't help but chuckle. 

Serena stormed out of the office towards the changing facilities, leaving a bewildered but smiling Bernie behind in her wake. 

\---------

Bernie let her mind roll through the procedure that was to come, ticking the mental boxes and making the various plans and backup plans. It was a routine procedure but one with little complexities that always seemed to throw the odd curve ball when it was least expected.

She pushed open the door to the changing facility and stepped into the room, headed for her locker but she stopped dead when she saw Serena standing in front of her in scrub pants and a lacy bra staring down at her own chest.

Bernie could feel her cheeks immediately growing hot and she tried to look like the professional doctor she was, quite used to seeing people with their bodies half apart, let alone merely lacking one piece of mildly essential clothing.

Serena looked up at her and back down at her chest, “Bernie, do you think this is a new freckle or have I dropped my lunch on me?”

Bernie raised her eyebrows, “I’m sorry?”

Serena clicked her tongue, turning around and taking the surgery scrub top off of its hanger, “It’s just it seems as though every time I see myself, I’m growing more and more spotted.”

Bernie smiled and shook her head, “Aren’t we all?”

“Why does aging do this to us? Steal our youths away from us and make us look like short-necked giraffes in the process?”

Bernie laughed, and was glad when Serena finally put her top on, covering the sight of her exquisite decollete peppered with perfect freckles.

“I think you have beautiful skin,” Bernie admitted, and was greeted with a slow smile on Serena’s lips. They held each other’s gaze for a startlingly long time and the oxygen in the room seemed to be vanishing at a rapid rate. Finally to break the tension and save face, Bernie added, “For a Giraffe.”

Serena’s lashes fluttered and she snapped a rubber glove in Bernie’s direction.

\---------

Bernie checked the display on her mobile for what seemed like the 50th time. She had been doing it since the end of her shift, thirty minutes prior as she patiently waited in the vacant office for Serena. But the woman hadn't come and she was running out of fake excuses as to why she was still at work nearly half an hour after her shift had ended. 

Finally giving up hope of catching her colleague in time to ask her out for a drink, Bernie rose from her chair and began gathering up her things and pulling her coat across her shoulders.

Serena chose that moment to dash through the door, slamming it closed behind her as she turned a half-surprised look to Bernie, "Oh I thought you would have gone already!"

"Well it's lovely to see you too," Bernie smiled and Serena returned it playfully as she began hastily pulling at the buttons on the front of her own blouse. 

Bernie's eyes dropped to the swift movement of Serena's deft fingers working quickly at the buttons, pulling each one apart to reveal more and more of her skin and for a moment she forgot that she was visible and indeed still staring at the latest development in front of her: Serena Campbell in a much too lacy bra in the middle of their office.

"Well seeing as you're still here, would you please hand me that," Serena gestured as she tried to remember the correct word for, "... garment bag." 

Remembering once again that she was indeed a human with full access to her motor control functions, she did as told and collected the garment bag hanging over a hook near the door and held it out to a very under-clothed Serena. Serena unzipped it, but didn't take it, and pulled the blouse off the hanger, shoving her arms quickly into the silk folds.

Bernie tried to look anywhere but at Serena, only managing to turn her eyes downward in time for the black trousers to fall from the other woman's legs. 

"Jesus," Bernie felt the words leaving her lips before she could stop them and then when she realized her audible blunder, added "What’s got you in such a hurry then?"

"Jason! I promised to take him to L'Amuse Bouche after he saw it on one of his television programs, and I'm running so late and you know how he can be--" Serena stole the black material off the second hanger and began pulling the skirt up her legs and over her thighs, the waist disappearing under the loose flaps of the blouse. She continued explaining but Bernie couldn't hold on to any of the words. In fact, the whole thing was a blur for the blond army medic, who still saw Serena's semi-nude figure in front of her despite the surgeon having become fully clothed in the interim.

"Well would you?" Serena asked expectantly, shoving the ends of her blouse in to her high-waisted skirt, but Bernie had no idea what the question was.

"I uhh, I'm sorry?" she asked but Serena waved her hand in the air as she gathered her discarded work clothes.

"Oh don't worry about it. I don't blame you for not wanting to come. He's going to be very disappointed that they don't have cod on the menu anyways and it's likely to be a bit of scene."

Bernie cursed herself for not thinking on her feet and being both invited and uninvited in a gap of time when she’d completely left her own brain well behind the rest of her.

“Ah, well good luck then.” Bernie pressed her lips together and smiled at Serena who had now slung her purse over her shoulder and had headed for the door. She allowed her eyes to briefly wander down Serena’s turned back to the skirt that hugged the other woman’s backside like it was tailor-made.

“See you tomorrow!” Serena called back as she rushed away from their office and disappeared in to the hospital. 

“Right,” Bernie said quietly to herself, knowing her evening’s plans would be taking an entirely different turn now that the curves of Serena’s body had seared themselves in to her brain. 

\---------

Bernie had knocked at the door once more, and stepped back to be sure that she did in fact have the correct house number, when she heard Serena’s voice calling out to her from behind the front door.

“Bernie, let yourself in, I’m just upstairs!”

Bernie did as told and let herself through the front door in to Serena’s foyer. She stood there awkwardly for a few moments until Serena called out to her again, “Can you come up? I’ve got a question for you.”

Bernie slowly ascended the stairs, taking note of small things that she knew she’d recall later and those that looked entirely differently than she’d imagined. It was the first time she'd been invited to Serena's home.

“In here!” Serena called again just as Bernie reached the landing and she followed the voice until she ended up in a bedroom. 

The first thing she noticed was the perfectly made bed with more pillows than she’d ever had on one of her own. Secondly she noticed three bras of varying colors draped across it, the black one making a prominent appearance once again. She swallowed.

Then there were stockings and blouses and —

“I know I’m late but I’m quick to ready. What do you think, the black or the blue for this evening?” Serena suddenly appeared through the bathroom door wearing a bath towel and apparently nothing else. Her wet hair was messy and clinging to her forehead and she hadn’t an ounce of makeup on her face. 

Bernie was stunned in to momentary silence again by how youthful and glowing she appeared but she did manage to say, “I think the blue is lovely,” before averting her eyes and trying to find the painting on the back wall infinitely intriguing.

“That’s what I thought. I know it doesn’t matter all that much but I haven’t had a proper night out in ages,” Serena walked back towards the bathroom and Bernie inched closer to the bedroom door.

“Look, perhaps it’s best I start the car. Don’t want it… to be cold.” she tried, really going with the first excuse she could muster up to put some distance in between herself and a very naked Serena Campbell.

“Alright sure. Give me ten minutes, tops.” Serena called out and Bernie found her feet carrying her down the stairs at a run.

\---------

A slow flickering candle illuminated the room through an empty bottle of red that sat on the coffee table between them, casting pleasant glowing shadows on the walls.

Serena, fresh glass in hand, took a slow taste of the shiraz Bernie had brought along with her and swallowed like it was the most exquisite thing that had ever graced her tongue.

Bernie flushed and hoped it could be written off as the wine, though she was lucky it was dark in Serena’s house. She ran her fingers down her thigh and raised her own glass to her lips, her head swimming but not because of the alcohol.

“I don’t know why we haven’t done this before now. So much nicer to be away from a loud pub,” Serena sighed and turned her dark eyes towards Bernie.

Bernie leaned forward on her knees and swirled the wine in the glass between her hands, “Your home is lovely, Serena.”

Bernie’s proximity to Serena, sitting side by side on the sofa, was driving her crazy, specifically when Serena would drop her hand, her fingers gracing Bernie’s. 

Serena smiled at the compliment, “It’s quiet,” she looked a little distant and contemplative as she added, “A bit-bit lonely, if I’m honest.”

Bernie nodded, “I get that.” 

Serena’s eyes met hers and the brunette pressed her lips together, regarding Bernie, “I’ll bet. Think we ought to get matching tattoos?”

Bernie’s eyes widened and Serena parted the top of her blouse, pulling it across her chest to bare a small patch of skin and the top of the bra Bernie had seen too many times, “Right here - The Embittered Ex-Wives Club. What do you think?”

Bernie laughed quietly, though Serena held her gaze for a long moment and the sound died on her lips. They stared at one another for a long time and Bernie found herself swaying forward despite her brain screaming at her to stop.

Serena’s eyes widened as she neared and they were the last thing Bernie saw as she pressed her mouth to Serena’s with a care she could never have planned for. She felt Serena hesitate and Bernie had begun to pull back when she felt Serena’s fingers holding her head in place, stopping her.

There was sound of glass knocking against carpet and she couldn’t tell whose it was or if it was both of them that had completely abandoned the Shiraz as Serena pushed forward in to her, easing her backwards against the sofa pillows. 

When their lips separated for a brief moment, Bernie felt the heaviness of her lashes as they parted and she regarded Serena, breathless and inches away from her. Somehow Serena had ended up leaning over her, the perfume once again assaulting Bernie’s senses and drawing the breath right out of her chest. She was about to fill the silence with some awkwardly strung together words but Serena saved her as she pressed her mouth against Bernie’s firmly and pressed the weight of her body down against her. 

Bernie’s fingertips were trembling as they stroked the skin at the edge of the fabric of Serena’s bra and silently thanked unseen forces for Serena’s taste in lingerie.


End file.
